Come Wake Me Up
by StarkidGleek12
Summary: A RYLEY based future fanfic one-shot: Ryder and Marley have a seemingly perfect life, they're young and married with their whole lives ahead of them. All they need is love right? Can they be reminded why they're together or is the end already closer to the beginning? I own nothing related to glee, rated T for dramatic content.


**A/N: OK, I was going to write a one-shot based on the Ryley cliffhanger from "I do", but it ended up being 15 pages long and I'm still not done with it! So I plan on dividing that up into chapters and posting that sometime soon. BUT, I happened to be on my pinterest wedding board one day last week (before anyone judges, a lot of young women my age has one because when we go to college and start exploring the pool of guys available, you can never start planning too early!) and I fell in love with a picture someone pinned of a couple at their wedding ceremony closing a "first fight" box instead of lighting the traditional unity candle. A first fight box is where both the bride and groom write letters to each other and lock them inside a box, so when they get into a bad fight, they read the letters to each other and remember why they got married. So, I was inspired to write a future-fic where Marley and Ryder are married and they have their first fight over what else? The complications of her eating disorder. I hope everyone likes this story and please review it! As always, I do not own Glee :)**

Come Wake Me Up

"What the hell is this Marley?! You swore you were never going to do this again!" Ryder screamed at his wife, gripping the bottle of laxatives he found.

"I'm sorry Ryder, I'm not perfect! Why were you going through my stuff anyway? Why don't you trust me?!" Marley countered, standing at the opposite end of their living room.

"Because you expect me to stand back and watch you do this to yourself! We keep playing this game with each other and I can't take it anymore! God, don't you realize how selfish you're being?!" Ryder threw the bottle in frustration and it caused the vase it hit to shatter.

"Fine Ryder! Leave then, ok? Find someone else who's worthy of being married to you! I'm so sick of everyone on my back about this constantly." Marley snapped with tears streaming down her face.

Ryder sighed and turned to the coat closet and pulled out his old duffel bag. "What are you doing Ryder?" Marley said in resignation.

Ryder turned to her seriously with a fire in his eyes she's never seen before. "I'm giving you what you want Marley. Ok, I'm leaving!" and he slammed his wedding ring on the kitchen counter.

He walked into their bedroom and grabbed a days' worth of clothes. When he was done, Marley ran in there and locked the door. He could hear the sobs coming from her and all a part of him wanted to do was go apologize and make things better. But the other part of him wanted to stand his ground and get the hell out of their tiny apartment, even just for a little bit. They were nineteen and had been married for less than a year but he could feel everything falling apart at that moment.

When he proposed the night of their graduation, he assumed she was ready, despite protests from everyone around them saying they were too young. Ryder's parents even disowned him when she said yes because they felt she wasn't good enough for their son. They were planning on waiting until after they graduated college to get married, but Marley's mom had a sudden heart attack and the prognosis wasn't good. Two weeks after they graduated from McKinley, they had a small ceremony with their friends and loved ones in the hospital chapel so her mom could see her walk down the aisle. Finn was Ryder's best man despite his reservations and Rachel, who returned to Lima after getting pregnant with Finn's baby and got married to him was Marley's maid of honor, because they had gotten close when she mentored Marley. Almost a month after the wedding, Marley's mom finally passed away and their relationship only grew stronger.

Both of them were going to college, Ryder studying sports management and Marley studying music education. They both had part time jobs with Marley as a waitress at Breadstixs and Ryder working at Hummel Tires and Lube shop to help pay for the bills and they both volunteered at McKinley, with Ryder serving as the assistant football coach and Marley assisting the Glee club alongside Mr. Schue and Rachel. They were having a fairly blissful first year, trying to make everything work for them. Until the bills were piling up and Marley's bulimia started up again, because she was losing control. When Marley was up at three a.m. and Ryder thought he heard the sound of vomiting, he tried to tell himself it wasn't true. Until the realization came crashing down when he found the pills in her underwear drawer when he was looking for something. Ryder wasn't mad at anyone else but himself. He should've saw the signs and urged her to go back and get more help. But for now, Ryder needed to get out of the apartment and clear his head.

He pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through the contacts until he found the one he was looking for. He pressed the green phone icon and waited, thinking about how he was going to start the conversation. A sleepy voice picked up the call.

"Hello?" Finn prompted groggily.

"Hey Finn, it's Ryder. I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you up. It's just, are you busy now? Marley and I got into a fight and I need to get out and clear my head." Ryder said.

"No man, it's fine. I fell asleep watching a movie with Rachel and Ally. I can make up the futon in the guest room and you can come over. We can have a beer and talk about it." Finn said to him.

"Okay." Ryder choked out before hanging up. He took a deep breath, picked up his bag and walked over to the table by the front door to get his keys.

His eyes stopped on a wooden box on the table. He remembered what it was for and opened it up. He saw the letter that Marley wrote to him before their wedding. They wrote letters to each other so when they fought, they would read the letters and maybe remember why they got married. They had never fought like this before, so he forgot they had this. He picked up his letter and put it in his bag and walked out the door.

Fifteen minutes later, Ryder was at Finn and Rachel's modest home and started to ring the doorbell before Rachel opened it. "Hey Ryder." she greeted. "Finn made up the futon and he's in the kitchen. Can you guys keep it down though? Ally hasn't been feeling well and I just now got her down." Rachel said as she took Ryder's duffel bag and gave him a hug.

"Yeah, sure thing Rachel. Thanks for everything." Ryder said as they walked into the warmly decorated kitchen.

"Hey, man. How are you feeling?" Finn asked as he gave Ryder a quick hug and they sat down.

"I don't know dude. I think Marley may be-" he started before silently sobbing. Finn gave him a sad look and got him a cold beer.

"Wait, again? I thought she'd be over it since Kitty stopped bullying her. She didn't relapse when her mom died." Finn said confused.

"I know, but I think with the stress of the bills and school, Marley couldn't handle it. Her therapist did say that one of the reasons she got an eating disorder because it was how she coped with extreme stress. It hasn't really been an easy year for us. I just wonder if it was all too soon for her and if it was the right thing to get married." Ryder said sadly.

"Don't blame yourself, Ryder. She might have relapsed either way, you never know. And I've never seen her happier than when she was with you. Don't give up yet." Finn told him firmly.

"I just don't know what to do anymore." Ryder said miserably before taking a long drink of beer.

"Here's what you're going to do. You're going to finish that beer and go to sleep in our guest room until both of you have your heads clear and your going to go back to her first thing tomorrow and make up with her. No matter what it takes. No one said being married was easy but that's why you have to keep working through it. She needs you to help her." Finn told him.

"Ok, thanks dude. I guess things will look better in the morning. I have a really bad headache so I'm going to go to bed early." Ryder said as he went to the simple guest room just off of the kitchen.

As Ryder went through his duffel bag to get his pajamas, he picked up the letter he grabbed before he left his apartment. He sat down on the futon with a sigh and opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper covered with Marley's impeccable handwriting.

_Dear Ryder,_

_Two years ago, I never expected to meet anyone as amazing as you. You've helped me through so much and patiently waited for me until I realized how perfect we are for each other. I wish I would've realized this sooner, but if my heart wasn't broken so many times by Jake, you wouldn't have shown me what a real man was. I know we were going to wait until later to officially get married, but with all the things that have been thrown at us, there's nothing more I want to do than stand by your side as your wife and deal with it together. I can't promise I'll ever be better and I know that sometimes dealing with my problems is more heartbreaking for you than it is for me. All I'm asking is that we never give up on what we have. I think everyday about our first kiss, and how I thought that kiss could do anything, even cure cancer! I know you think that I've been the one saving your life by helping you graduate high school and get into college and deal with your parents, but in reality, you've been saving my life. Everyday since I've met you, even before we were officially a couple have been the best of my life. You are convinced that I'm settling by staying in Lima and getting married to you so soon after high school. The fact is that you are too good for me. You've loved me even when I couldn't love myself. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you starting from the moment we say 'I do' surrounded by those who have supported us, even if they think we're too young to know about love. I've been in love with you since we were sixteen and we played Danny and Sandy during Grease. That love has grown so much stronger. I am the luckiest woman in the world to have the privilege of marrying not only the greatest, most wonderful man in the entire world, but my best friend. I hope that times won't get so hard that you'll have to resort to reading this to remember why we're getting married, but I hope you'll know that I mean every single word of this and I will do whatever it takes to be the wife that you deserve._

_Love Always,_

_Marley_

Ryder finished the letter and picked up his cell phone to call Marley. He knew she wouldn't pick up, so he settled for the machine. "Hey Marls. I know you're mad at me, but before we give up, can you please read the letter in the box on the table by the door?" He reread his letter many times before falling asleep, trying to connect with the woman he loved through her writing. Trying to fall asleep that night without Marley sleeping by his side was like trying not to breathe. It was the hardest thing he's ever done.

Marley was back in her apartment feeling the most miserable she's ever felt. She still saw Ryder's look of shock, anger, disappointment and sadness running though her mind. All Ryder did was love and support her no matter what and she pushed him away. She let him down when he found those laxatives. All Marley knew was that she had to get up from the bed and do something. She knew Ryder was gone, so she decided it was safe to leave the bedroom. He'll come back when he wants to. Or will he? Did she really push him away forever? Why did she ruin the best thing she's ever had?

As Marley walked out of the bedroom, she noticed a red mark around her neck. She took off the necklace that cut into her neck when she was laying down in her bed. As she put it down, she noticed it was the heart pendent that Ryder bought for her when they were sixteen. She was dating Jake at the time and he had enlisted Ryder's help in giving her the best Valentine's day ever. Even though Jake passed it off as his idea, Marley knew it was Ryder all along. It took Marley a while to realize that Ryder was the one she really loved, and not Jake.

Eventually Jake and Marley broke up once and for all, and by their junior year, Ryder and Marley were endgame. Jake got over it and him and Ryder were best friends again. Jake and Kitty were now both living in L.A. and were engaged. Jake was even one of Ryder's groomsmen and Kitty was one of Marley's bridesmaids and they were all friends. All Marley wanted at this point was to go back to the time she was happy. She looked at the wedding picture of her and Ryder sadly and laid it facedown on the dresser with the heart pendent and her wedding ring. Part of her didn't want to believe Ryder had left, and that he was just sleeping on the couch. Sadly, Ryder was no where to be found. She saw his keys were gone and everything. Either he was just out trying to calm down or he was really finally giving up. When she walked into the living room, she pushed play on the answering machine, seeing who left the message. The message was left over twenty minutes ago and it was from Ryder. The last part of it stuck with her. What letter in what box was he talking about? She glanced over to the table by the door and saw the open wooden box he must have been talking about. Curiously, she pulled out the envelope addressed to her and sat down on the couch and opened it.

_Dear Marley,_

_I tried writing this letter many times today. I couldn't find the right words to say. Ever since we met when we were sixteen when I introduced myself after my Grease audition, you've left me absolutely tongue-tied. I always wondered why you would ever be interested in someone like me, and I accepted that you weren't when you dated Jake. Part of me desperately held onto the hope that we would be together someday. When I proposed to you, everyone thought I was crazy for doing so. I knew you were the one for me the opening night of Grease when I kissed you. No other girl could ever compare to you. No matter how many girls I dated to get you off of my mind, I knew we were endgame. Being patient and waiting for you to realize this drove me insane, but I know now that it was worth it. When we first got engaged, I was secretly disappointed that we were going to wait to get married because I want you to be mine in every way possible. Even though the circumstances aren't totally ideal, I'm so glad that today we are getting married and every morning from now on we will wake up together husband and wife. It's not going to be easy, but I swear I will love you unconditionally, even when you can't totally love yourself. Being with you and standing by your side when life threw a lot at you taught me how to be the man I am today, and I promise I will work to be a better man because you deserve that much. Things aren't going to be easy for us and you still have a lot of things to work through, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I will be with you until we make it someday. I love you so much Marley. Thank so much for showing me what true, honest to God love is._

_Love,_

_Ryder_

Marley closed the letter and put in down on the coffee table. She didn't know how to make it up to Ryder, but she had an idea on where to start. She walked back to the bedroom and the bathroom and pulled out all the stashes of diet pills and laxatives she had. She flushed all the poison down the toilet and went back into the bedroom. She pulled one of Ryder's t-shirts out of the drawer, stripped down to her underwear and slipped it on. She climbed back into bed, crying herself to sleep, praying Ryder would come back soon because being without him killed her more on the inside than the bulimia.

After what felt like hours of tossing and turning, Ryder gave up on sleep and looked his phone. Marley hadn't called or texted him. He didn't blame her for not doing so. He saw the time was only 10:30 p.m. and he knew what he had to do. He threw jeans, his old McKinley hoodie and shoes on and packed his bag, putting the letter on the bedside table in his pocket. He wrote Rachel and Finn a quick note explaining that he was going back home and thanking them for everything. Before he could leave it in the living room however, he saw that Finn and Rachel we're still up, watching T.V. on their couch.

"Hey, you going back home Ryder?" Finn questioned when he saw the bag and keys in Ryder's hand.

"Yeah I am. Thanks for everything guys." he replied earnestly.

"Well that's great Ryder, but are you sure you're ready? I mean there's a storm and you had a beer." Finn asked unsure.

"I had half of one and that was an hour ago. And I've driven in bad weather before. I'll be fine Finn, but I have to go back to Marley."

Finn smiled at him and gave him a quick hug. Rachel gave Ryder a bottle of water for the road and gave him a hug. He left and he had a hard time seeing the road because of the pouring rain, but it was worth it. He finally made it back to their apartment and opened the door quietly. Ryder shook the rain from his eyes and took off his soaking hoodie and hung it on an empty coat rack. Ryder smiled when he saw Marley's opened letter tucked back inside the box and put his back in there too.

He walked quietly towards the bedroom and opened the door, accidentally waking up Marley. Marley was laying down on top of the already made bed in nothing but his t-shirt. She rubbed her mascara and tear-streaked eyes in confusion.

"Ryder? Is that you?" Marley asked groggily.

"Yes baby, it's me." he chuckled as he sat down on the bed next to her.

"Ryder, I'm so sorry! I know you're mad at me but I promise to get better, I'm so sick of hurting you because you deserve so much better than me-"

Ryder stopped her and pressed his lips firmly onto hers. He released her and held her until she stopped sobbing.

"Marley, you are perfect the way you are. And I will love you no matter what. I chose you, there's no one better than you." he assured her.

He kissed away every tear on her face until their lips met again. The kiss got deeper and they were making love like it was the first time all over again. A few hours later, Ryder was sitting in bed with the woman he loved wrapped in his arms and the rain beating down the windows of their small walkup. At that moment, he had never felt more at peace and he somehow knew that they were going to be okay.


End file.
